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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

A group of 4 dissatisfied and bored youths set out to smash up and demolish an all night gas station. They soon find that they can make more money if they pose as staff, fuel peoples vehicles and keep the earnings.

The film is constantly amusing and entertaining with some great characters that, despite being nameless (except for 'Bulldozer') are still likeable, regardless of their motives.That may sound odd, as afterall, the 4 lead characters are technically the bad guys of the film due to the fact that they are out causing trouble simply because they are bored.And yet you feel no animosity towards them and they are all likeable and entertaining right from the start without any need to build up any sympathies for them. There are some tiny flashback moments, and while these may explain some of the charcters motivation, the movie would of worked just as well without them.

The movie is well shot and well acted and keeps up its amusing, entertaining pace throughout its almost 2 hour duration.

There are many great moments littered throughout. I especially liked a scene where one of the characters breaks open a vending machine to steal the change, which he subsequently uses in another vending machine to buy a drink.

Other highlights include things such as, the best way to get a bit of background music whilst they are working and why Pepsi might be Korean.

The events that unfold at the gas station are a clever social commentary on the state of Korea, the gas station itself actually representing the country and the people representing the North or South and other nations.Read more ›

I have found Korean cinema generally to be interesting, with some genuinely great films being produced. However, Attack the Gas Station is not one of them. It centres around a gang of 4 youths who take over a gas station for a night, terrorising the staff and gradually accumulating additional hostages. They realise that the best way to make money is to keep the gas station working. There are some pretty unsubtle comments on the state of the Korean nation, smashing up nationalistic slogans for instance, and also it's noticeable how American products come in for a fair amount of abuse too. Each character has a flashback which attempts to explain why they are angry, disaffected and frustrated, but these are not well done and could have been handled with more sympathy and depth. There is a lot of violence in the film too and a lot of it really feels unnecessary. This film is quite often described as a comedy but I would challenge anybody to find more than a couple of even mildly funny moments. All in all it was pretty disappointing.

Attack the Gas Station! is an effective show case for 4 young stars and goes some way to prove that the newly revitalised Korean cinema has a lot to offer. Anarchic, briskly staged and with some genuinely funny moments, it is a film which could be remade to good effect in the West (I can see Kevin Spacey as the beleagued station owner, for instance) although I doubt that all of the verve could be recaptured, for this is a young man's film, angry and alert to wider issues."If they move, kill them" is a running joke through the film as the number of hostages increases and, whether or not a deliberate reference to Peckinpah's Wild Bunch, its still funny.The least convincing aspect of the film is the flashbacks. While useful in providing some background and character motivation for the main characters, their previous lives seems sketched in too cursorily and in result the young men lose dramatic weight. It's as if that, once away from the scene of their most important and direct influence, they are morally enervated. Their stature is only significant, the film seems to suggest, as the principals go on and take direct, group action. Part of this is deliberate, as their past frustration undoubtedly feeds their current boredom and anger, yet one feels that much of the same ground could have been covered by some relevant interaction between the four, who leave their personal demons resolutely undiscussed.More interesting is what the Gas Station represents: this viewer feels that, to some extent, it is Korea in microcosm.Read more ›

Great plot, funny ideas and well executed in all points. A good laugh akin to those in most black comedies.(I.E. Heathers, Doubles and Big Bully)There's a little 3 stooges mixed in as is commonly found in most asian comedies, but 95% is just dark humor and fun!

Second,I must say this: Warning!

I ordered a copy of Attack the Gas Station from Amazon and much to my utter dismay, it was DUBBED in Cantonese and Mandarin with no Original KOREAN track available! Also, there was no indication of this on the back of the DVD box, so I had to open it, to find out what the audio and subtitle tracks were and thusly by opening it, made it impossible to return to Amazon. So be careful when you buy this movie. Make sure you know what you are getting. At least the print is Widescreen, so one out of two ain't bad. But I just can't see watching this great Korean Film DUBBED! To truly get the LAUGHS, you have to watch it in the original language!

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

Kinetic energy with brains!27 Sept. 2003

By
LGwriter
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: DVD

Wacked hard-fisted action with chunks of laughs as four Korean youths take over a gas station holding the manager and his staff hostage, then give customers more gas than they ask for and take the money for it. Things escalate when the four guys don't pay for a whole lot of Chinese food they order, and when they beat up some low-level gang flunkies of a local mob.What raises this very far above a dupey film is the ultra-smart script. The four guys' pasts are revealed; each has had great disappointment in his past resulting in his current urge to rant and destroy. Music, self-esteem, and parents are the causes.The ending sequence of mobsters, delivery boys, the youths, the gas station staff, and the cops all converging has to be seen to be believed. Along the way there is enough humor to keep things moving fast and furious. It's great that this film is very far off from taking itself seriously like most dumb American action movies do. This is a superior action film for those who love fast-moving flicks that give you a one-two punch where it counts--in whatever connects your head to your adrenalin and also your laugh muscles.Way cool.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful

Don't get the Region 1 version!11 July 2002

By
James Lee
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: DVD
Verified Purchase

I think that Attack the Gas Station is one of the greatest Korean films ever made. However, the Region 1 (American) DVD version released by Tai-Seng is terrible! The sound and video quality is absolutely dismal. The DVD seems to be a widescreen version but it is a pan and scan version with the top and bottom cut off! There are no extras and the worst part about the film is that it doesn't even include the original Korean audio track! You can only listen to the film dubbed in Mandarin or Cantonese. Tai-seng's releases generally range from awful to mediocre at best and this DVD doesn't do anything to change that.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

One of the most amazing action-comedies I have ever seen.11 Jun. 2002

By
James Lee
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: DVD
Verified Purchase

I initially saw this film as an import DVD and I have to say that it is one of the coolest films I have ever seen. The film alone really shows that Korea has taken over the role Hong Kong used to have for making the best comedy and action films in Asia. The film is about four Korean punks that hold up a gas station for kicks. Finding out that there is no cash, the four decide to hold the employees hostage and take their places, pumping gas and then pocketing the money (as gas is expensive in Asia). If anyone gives them a problem, they are taken hostage as well. By the end of the film, the four punks have taken over ten hostages and are about to get into a giant rumble with local gangsters, the police and the delivery boys union (as they ordered chinese food and never pay for it). The film has great characters, great music, and a hillarious and unpredictable plot. A truly crazy and entertaining film.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

Very Entertaining!8 Dec. 2004

By
J. Le
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: DVD

Attack the Gas Station is an excellent Korean flick involving the life of four troublemakers in a scenario that will change their lives. This is more drama than comedy, however you will find it laugh out loud hilarious when taken into consideration the irony of their situation. By robbing a gas station that has no cash on hand, they decide to hold the gas station hostage while simultaneously working the pumps to get the cash. Throughout the movie, you find out the motivation for each of the trouble makers, and you begin to grow attached to them as you find out their life long dreams. This film features some touching moments, as the troublemakers help a boy fight off bullies, and teach crooked cops a lesson. As long as you aren't expecting a deeply involving drama, or a slapstick comedy, I believe you will really enjoy this film.